Side: Elju Lau Roshure
"Heigh-Ho♪ Heigh-Ho♪ Shigoto ga kirai♪ Tere tte tettete tete♪"
Having heard the reports from Otou-sama and the others, Yuki-san is leisurely singing a strange song while remodeling the dungeon. Seraria-anesama has headed to the royal capital with my double.
Currently, only Oriel, Yuki-san, and I are here.
"Yuki-san... Why did you pin the responsibility on the Demon King? Was it really necessary to fake my death...?"
"Elju-sama, that is—"
Oriel steps in to restrain me, but Yuki-san answers non-chalantly while continuing his work.
"You probably realize this, but without a different target for their anger, Roshure would likely be attacked from two fronts by Gartz and Rithea. Public sentiment would undoubtedly lean toward a war of vengeance for Elju, anyway. We staged your death in a public place to completely convince the Holy Nation of Rithea. Conveniently, Rurua became the witness to your passing."
I understand the logic. But... is that something a person should do?
That emotion stirs within me.
"Hmm. If you don't like it, feel free to offer a better suggestion to the King and the others. If it results in fewer sacrifices and benefits everyone more than my plan, I'm sure they'd be happy to accept it."
"...!"
"If you're saying you just hate it emotionally... well, I guess you could go protest to the Holy Nation of Rithea and pray for a miracle. Pray that they'll bow their heads and admit they were wrong. If they were capable of that, they wouldn't have resorted to assassination in the first place."
He is right. But still...!!
"But the Demon King has nothing to do with this incident! It didn't have to be the Demon King...!"
"Fine. Should we blame the other powerhouse, Roumel? Or maybe pin it on some harmless tiny nation?"
"Why must humans fight amongst themselves!?"
"Didn't you just say 'no' to the King?"
Yuki-san remains aloof, not even looking at me as he scribbles something on a piece of beautiful paper I've never seen before.
"T-Then why did you decide to push the blame onto the Demon King!?"
"Because I heard from the King, Seraria, Aria, and you that he's currently causing actual harm. I have no way of knowing the truth of those claims right now, but if they're a fact, then this incident makes for a perfect reason to form an alliance."
"But this incident has nothing to do with the Demon King—!!"
"Doesn't matter. The Demon King's done enough bad already that people will accept it without question. So let him shoulder it. If that saves hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of lives."
I find myself unable to say anything to that.
"Sorry. I understand how you feel. But I don't understand getting angry over that."
"...Why not!? So many lives were lost!! We should properly condemn Rithea and demand an apology—"
"Rithea is the cause, huh? No... you're wrong, Elju. You are the cause. You got carried away by the title of 'Saintess', ignored the warnings of those around you, and went flying about, creating the very situation they could exploit. Do you understand that?"
"...Eh?"
My vision suddenly wavers.
I'm... the cause?
"Yuki!! How can you say such a thing!? Elju-sama only tried to bring salvation to the people!!"
"And that led to this conflict? Great, isn't it? Tell me—which is greater? The lives the 'Saint' saved, or the sacrifices made in the conflict she triggered?"
"That... is..."
"I understand how you feel, Elju, but don't throw a tantrum over the current results. Don't play the tragic heroine. Nobody else will tell you, so I will: You are the cause of this conflict."
Everything goes dark.
I can see, and yet, it is as if I am blind...
"If you hadn't taken the title of Saint, Rurua could've remained Rithea's Saint. Their people wouldn't have been stirred into unrest."
"St...op..."
"Minister Loire wouldn't have harbored strange ambitions; he would have remained a petty villain. Mobu and the others could have stayed happily with their families and friends."
"No..."
"The King, Aria, and Seraria wouldn't have been targeted for assassination."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
"Elju-sama, please calm down!! Yuki, why are you doing this!? You promised to protect her!!"
Yuki-san continues his work as if nothing happened...
What kind of heart does he have...? I can't even look at him directly...
"I was just answering her question. She's the one who worked herself up, isn't she?"
"D-Don't be ridiculous!! You've pushed Elju-sama to the brink!!"
"She cornered herself. And Oriel—you've got it easy, don't you? You just keep affirming Elju and dump all responsibility onto her."
"What did you say!?"
"Isn't it true? If you had been more attentive, gathered more information, this wouldn't have happened. Am I wrong?"
"...!"
Yuki-san's words weighed heavily on me, sinking deep into my body.
"What should I have done...? I couldn't see the future... I thought being a Saint was the most I could do for everyone..."
"Exactly. No one knows the future. That's why you work desperately with what you have."
"..."
"Then why are you crouching here now? Even if you were the cause, no one is blaming you. If anything, the whole country pities you."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Looking at the big picture, yes, the damage caused by you taking the title of Saint is great. But it's also true that lives were saved because of it, right? Were those saved lives a mistake?"
"...Of course not."
"You know the answer, then. So keep saving people. Do everything you can. For the sake of those who believed in you as a Saintess, and to prove that the lives you saved weren't a mistake."
"..."
"You think it's hypocrisy? Maybe. But stopping now is worse. You know that, right?"
"...Yes. But I still can't accept it."
"Isn't that fine? Some people choose suicide; you're doing better than them."
Silence follows for a while.
Oriel sighs in relief, seeing that I've regained some composure.
"Yuki... couldn't you have handled that more gently? Without such roundabout... theatrical words?"
"If you think those words are 'roundabout' or 'cringey,' that's already a problem. There's nothing clean or dirty about living. Words only matter when the situation to hear them is right. If Elju had just said, 'Yes! I understand!' right away, that would just mean she wasn't thinking at all."
Yuki-san puts down his pen and reaches for a cup next to him.
"Now then, Elju. Since you've finally gotten your head on straight... you understand the national policy the King and the others are pursuing, right?"
"Yes. It's the way to save the most lives right now."
"...You're still misunderstanding a bit, but fine. So—who do you think suffers the most from this whole incident?"
"The Demon King?"
"Think a bit harder. As a nation, we'll stamp it on the Demon King. But in reality, the ones who suffer most are the people living on the land."
"...Ah. You're right."
"How many of them do you think can live normal lives now? How many do you think have fallen into slavery?"
"Surely many... but what do you want me to do? I am dead to the world. There is nothing I can do anymore."
"Yeah, yeah, keep thinking. Stop shutting down your brain so often. What am I planning to build in this dungeon?"
"A village or a town... wait, you don't mean!!"
"Quite conveniently, a lot of slaves will be hitting the market soon... I plan to pressure the King into buying a fair number of them for me. He won't want to spare his own manpower for the dungeon, anyway."
"You plan to make them work by force!?"
"...Seriously, think. Why would I run things in a way that leaves future grudges? If we provide 'designated protection' for those slaves, liberate them, and let them live here freely—what happens?"
"If they are freed and no longer oppressed... they would be happy, wouldn't they?"
"Well, I don't know how well it'll be received, but it's worth a try. Eventually, rumors might spread and refugees or slave traders might come directly to sell."
Yuki-san stops talking and stares at me.
"Using your bitter experiences, I'm delegating the management of this dungeon village—or town, whatever—to you, Elju. You can experience firsthand the struggles your father went through."
With that, he hands me the paper he was writing on.
At the top, it said: "Dungeon Village Development Plan".
